College Farms are training grounds for students who want to learn about farm management, from small organic operations, to large industrial farms.  C.J. Walke is the manager of Peggy Rockefeller Farms, part of The College of the Atlantic in Bar Harbor, Maine. He shares with us the history of the farm and specifics of its […]

This year we are downsizing certain areas of our farm and really taking some intentional/mindful  looks at where we want to go in the future. I feel like, at this point, we’ve tried a lot of things. We’ve raised a lot of different animals and over the years I’ve realized I have favorites and preferences […]

Maat van Uitert shares great ideas and practical plans for protecting your ducks from summer heat with an easy-to-wash, self-draining pond. Easing Summer Stress Nothing is worse than watching your beloved ducks pant in the summer heat. A cool, inviting pool is a simple, natural way to keep your feathered friends from feeling the effects […]

Frank Hyman shares plans and instructions for a practical (and cute) poultry nesting box. Nest Box Necessities A lot of thought went into the design and construction of our coop’s nest box. It’s such an important feature that my wife, Chris – the livestock manager – asked me – the facilities manager – to install […]

Joel Salatin (aka Chicken Man) is a familiar name among chicken keepers, small poultry business owners, and homestead rebels. We asked Joel to share with our readers how he got started with broiler chickens and what keeps him going. Beginnings On Sept. 24, 1982, I was a married 25-year-old with a 1-year-old son, doing the town […]

It’s spring time when lots of folks are getting their first chickens, or are adding more birds to their flocks.  Blogger Claire Woods shares tips for coop building materials. While dreaming up your ideal chicken coop, you know you want it to be safe, functional, and probably pleasing to look at. Chicken lovers are coming […]

If you are interested in feeding your chickens for free, Jonathan Engels has 9 innovative ways for you to try in this poultry permaculture-focused Feature Article. About 50 million years ago, long before there were sacks of cracked corn or even farmers to distribute the grains, chickens were wild birds that inhabited the jungles of […]

Oh, Spring! The snow in melting, and the sun is shining- or maybe it’s raining and gloomy… or you just got dumped with another foot of snow. Well, the weather might not be cooperating yet, but there is one thing that unites the spring experience for all chicken lovers, and that’s the sound of peeping […]

Chickens Reimagined Chickens are egg-producing, garden-aerating, composting, fertilizing, little machines, i.e. the natural workhorses within a holistic system. Yet their multiple benefits for the homesteader are often overlooked. When designers plan an all-inclusive or permaculture property, they often “stack functions” by looking at… well… how to kill two birds with one stone.  Or how to […]

Making the most of your farm or homestead doesn’t always mean growing more plants or raising more animals.  Here are some ideas about adding value to your place through agritourism.  Enjoy this excerpt from Farms with a Future: Creating and Growing a Sustainable Farm Business by Rebecca Thistlethwaite. Permission from Chelsea Green publishers. It’s not easy […]